Over the last two decades, the buying and selling of products through computer networks such as the Internet has increased dramatically. A significant portion of all commerce is now conducted online through the Internet. As the amount of commerce conducted online grows, the number of online commerce venues also grows. As such, online vendors compete with each other to offer users the best user experience. One way to differentiate from other online retailers is to provide products most suitable to the needs of the users.
Purchasing goods and services online has advantages and drawbacks. Purchasing goods online allows consumers to shop and compare products easily from their own home or mobile device. Additionally, consumers have a much wider range of goods available for selection. Thus, consumers can quickly search through and review many options.
However, when shopping online the social aspects of more traditional commerce are lost. The large number of options available to consumers at any given time can result in difficulty finding the optimal product for the user's needs. Traditionally, consumers can rely on social structures to help evaluate different options when shopping. For example, when shopping in a retail store, shoppers can get purchasing, advice from salespeople or friends and family who accompany them. Shopping online removes this social experience as it is typically done alone.
Additionally, purchasing goods and services online can be more complicated than purchasing goods in person. For example, purchasing online often involves filling out time-consuming forms, including manually inputting payment methods and arranging for shipment of the product. Then, unlike traditional shopping, the purchaser must wait for delivery of the good. As such, online commerce websites need to focus on the advantages of shopping online, while also minimizing the disadvantages.
Another significant use of computer networks, such as the Internet, is computer based social networking. Websites like Facebook and Twitter allow their users to find and maintain relationships with other people through status updates and messages. Users can maintain an awareness of the lives of their friends, family members, and acquaintances that would otherwise be difficult to keep in close contact with.
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, the drawing figures illustrate the general manner of construction, and descriptions and details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present disclosure. Additionally, elements in the drawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. The same reference numerals in different figures denote the same elements.
The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments described herein are, for example, capable of operation in sequences other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. Furthermore, the terms “include,” and “have,” and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, article, device, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, system, article, device, or apparatus.
The terms “left,” “right,” “front,” “back,” “top,” “bottom,” “over,” “under,” and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing permanent relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the apparatus, methods, and/or articles of manufacture described herein are, for example, capable of operation in other orientations than those illustrated or otherwise described herein.
The terms “couple,” “coupled,” “couples,” “coupling,” and the like should be broadly understood and refer to connecting two or more elements mechanically and/or otherwise. Two or more electrical elements may be electrically coupled together, but not be mechanically or otherwise coupled together. Coupling may be for any length of time, e.g., permanent or semi-permanent or only for an instant. “Electrical coupling” and the like should be broadly understood and include electrical coupling of all types. The absence of the word “removably,” “removable,” and the like near the word “coupled,” and the like does not mean that the coupling, etc. in question is or is not removable.
As defined herein, two or more elements are “integral” if they are comprised of the same piece of material. As defined herein, two or more elements are “non-integral” if each is comprised of a different piece of material.
As defined herein, “approximately” can, in some embodiments, mean within plus or minus ten percent of the stated value. In other embodiments, “approximately” can mean within plus or minus five percent of the stated value. In further embodiments, “approximately” can mean within plus or minus three percent of the stated value. In yet other embodiments, “approximately” can mean within plus or minus one percent of the stated value.